With George McCartney injured, youngster, Dan Potts is the only recognised left back for the Upton Park outfit, and with Olsson’s Premier League experience, it will be a real coup if Big Sam can pull this signing off. With the Hammers struggling for goals, Swedish international Ollson can provide the added ammunition West Ham desperately need, with his attacking prowess and ability to cross and shoot from range, you can defiantly see why West Ham want him in a claret and blue shirt.

Rio Ferdinand

With the return of the very skilful, Joe Cole, maybe Allardyce should think about bringing another old face back to the Boleyn Ground. It is apparent that West Ham are in desperate need of defensive reinforcements, with James Collins out for up to 6 weeks with a hamstring injury and James Tomkins being linked with a move to Newcastle, Ferdinand could become a real stalwart in the Hammers backline. The United defender is out of contract this summer, and with no extension offered to him so far, his leadership ability and all round presence could greatly benefit the Hammers.

Charles Kabore

With many top flight clubs tracking West Ham’s player of the season so far, Mohammed Diame, 24 year old Marseille midfield enforcer, Charles Kabore could be an ideal replacement if Diame was to depart. Kabore has recently stated that he would be interested in a move to England, and with Marseille strapped for cash, the bargain of the January Transfer window could be made, as it is understood he could be available for as little as £2 million. On the basis of his age, and raw talent Chales Kabore could potential be the bargain of the season.

Charlie Austin

The Burnley hitman has endured a fine start to the season, notching up 23 goals already this season, and on current form, he’s not finished yet. His goals have gone unnoticed this season, with the likes of Newcastle and even Arsenal ready to pounce for the 23 year old striker. However, I think it’s West Ham that are more in need of goals, with one of the lowest goals tally in the Premier League this season, Allardyce needs a clinical finisher and an eye for goal in order to secure their of a top 10 finish. With his notability for goals, and his young age, it looks as though a bid of around £7-8 million could be realistically acceptable for the Championship’s joint leading scorer.

Anthony Pilkington

The Norwich winger has been nothing short of a revelation since joining from Huddersfield Town nearly 2 years ago, and his remarkable ability to cross accurately and score a few crackers in the meantime, Allardyce should surely be thinking that his crossing ability, and set piece delivery should provide perfect substance for Carlton Cole, Andy Carroll and Maroune Chamakh. But with the Canaries going steadily in the top flight, and not far off West Ham in the league table, would Pilkington really make the move to East London?

Danny Welbeck

Reports suggest that because of superstar Robin Van Persie’s incredible form, and Sir Alex Ferguson reluctant to leave fellow England forward out of the team, it looks as though Welbeck could be available for a short term loan deal. With his pace and endeavour, this is definatly an attractive option that Big Sam would gladly take up. Nevertheless, because of his proven ability, many clubs higher than the Hammers in the table will also be looking to sign him, and I very much doubt that because of West Ham’s hefty wage budget, Welbeck will be far too expensive. If the deal was to happen, the question lies, where will this leave Carlton Cole?

Darren Bent

Out of favour at struggling Aston Villa, Darren Bent has the capabilities of still producing some of his best form, maybe reproducing what he did in his playing days at Sunderland. His natural instinct at being in the right place at the right time, raw pace, which is something West Ham lack, and proven goal scoring record, West Ham should without a doubt be looking into getting Bent on board. The snag is Bent has already rejected West Ham twice, first at Charlton even though a staggering £16million bid was accepted for him, and then at rivals Tottenham Hotspur where he wasn’t playing at his best. Is it a case of it really was not meant to be for Darren Bent and West Ham United?

Fernando Amorebieta

The 6”3 defender is out of contract with Spanish La Liga outfit, Athletic Bilbao, this summer, and is thought to be looking for a move elsewhere. Amorebieta came through the famous Bilbao youth system, where only players of Basque decent are allowed to play for the club. He has been one a few players from the Bilbao academy that has been consistently solid throughout his career and has got plenty of admirers, including Manchester United and Everton. With West Ham in desperate need of defensive cover, Amorebieta could be the perfect fit for the Hammers. Known for his heading capabilities and positioning, can the Spanish stalwart be a success in England’s top flight?

Lucas Biglia

Lucas Biglia is a creative midfielder who likes to show off his flair and play the game at his own pace. The Argentine maestro is with Belgian champions Anderlecht, but if reports are correct, which is he has gone AWOL or in other terms ‘doing a Tevez’, Biglia could become a shining star for the Upton Park side. Avaiable on a free transfer in the summer, the Belgians will be looking for a quick fire sale, and maybe a bid of around £3million could be enough to tempt Anderlecht to sell the silky Argentine. Furthermore, he could become an ideal replacement for French anchorman, Alou Diarra, who looks as though he could be set for a six month loan deal with Espanyol. Is Biglia the right choice to replace Diarra?

George Friend

The 22 year old, who can alternate between left back and centre back, has impressed since joining Championship promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough from Doncaster Rovers. The lanky defender has many Premier League suitors, including Aston Villa, Wigan Athletic and Fulham, and since he has never been given the chance at the highest level, maybe it is time to give him a fair crack of the whip. Allardyce will like his versatility as he is short of numbers at the back, and with strength in depth in desperate need for the Hammers, West Ham should probably be looking at about a £2-4 million bid to prize the English defender away from Teeside.

Chelsea have matched the release clause in Demba Ba’s contract at Newcastle, for him to become Blues boss Rafael Benitez first signing in the January Transfer window.

The fee is believed to be in the region of £7million, and with Ba keen to speak to other clubs if the clause is met, the Senegalese decided to put pen to paper on a three and a half year deal at Stamford Bridge.

Ba’s career catipulted when at German outfit Hoffenheim, scoring 37 goals in 97 appearances, before a move to London rivals West Ham gave him recognition in the English top flight.

The powerful striker scored an impressive 7 goals in 12 games for the Hammers, but it could not prevent them from being relegated to the Championship, and during the summer of 2011, he moved to Newcastle on a free transfer.

Ba had a very impressive stint on Tyneside, scoring 29 goals in 54 appearances for the St.James Park outfit, and forming a deadly partnership with fellow Senegalese striker Papiss Demba Cisse.

When it was aware Ba was becoming unsettled in the North East, and there was an affordable release clause in his contract, many top flight clubs were monitoring his situation, including Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal.

However, it was Chelsea that captured the talented centre forward, and with Senegal not participating in the African Cup of Nations, and Fernando Torres looking much more like his old self, this could well be the striking partnership of the season.

The Premier League is one of, if not the most, prestigious and powerful league in the world. Most of Europe’s best players say that in some point in their career, they would love to play on English soil. The high intensity of matches, the controversy, and the star studded quality of teams and players is what most players in the world can only dream about. However, from my perspective, this is only seen on British teritory. When it comes to European football such as the Europa League and especially the Champions League, the so called quality of the English teams, seems to be deminished.

The likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City have all shown how they perform in the Premier League, and what the standard should be, however, when it comes to competing with the European elite, English teams tend to struggle. Recently, Chelsea travelled to the Ukranian city of Donestk, Shakhtar dominiated possesion and ultimately won the game. Manchester United played Portugese outfit Braga and narrowly won 3-2.

With the European contingent vastly progressing in the quality of players, players development, and increasing the intensity of games, is the Barclays Premier League becoming easier to play in, or is playing in Europe disturbing the domestic season ?